Cable-actuated adapter for surgical stapling instrument

ABSTRACT

A surgical stapling instrument includes an anvil assembly, a shell assembly, and an adapter assembly. The adapter assembly includes a tubular shaft, an approximation assembly, and a seal. The approximation assembly includes a lead screw, a tubular member, a cable, and a trocar assembly. The tubular member threadably engages the lead screw such that rotation of the lead screw causes axial displacement of the tubular member. The cable extends within the tubular shaft and is coupled to the tubular member for concomitant displacement with the tubular member. The trocar assembly extends from the cable. The trocar assembly is coupled to the anvil assembly such that axial displacement of the tubular member transitions the anvil assembly between a spaced apart configuration and an approximated configuration. The seal provides a fluid-tight seal such that the adapter assembly includes a sealed portion and an unsealed portion. The lead screw is disposed within the sealed portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/807,393, filed on Mar. 3, 2020, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to surgical stapling instruments, andmore particularly, to a cable-actuated adapter for surgical staplinginstruments.

BACKGROUND

Anastomosis is the surgical joining of separate hollow organ sections.Typically, an anastomosis procedure follows surgery in which a diseasedor defective section of hollow tissue is removed, and the end sectionsare stapled via a surgical stapling instrument. Depending on the desiredanastomosis procedure, the end sections may be joined by circular orside-to-side organ reconstruction methods, for instance.

In a circular anastomosis procedure, the two ends of the organ sectionsare joined by means of a surgical stapling instrument which drives acircular array of staples through the end section of each organ sectionand simultaneously cores any tissue interior of the driven circulararray of staples to free the tubular passage. Typically, these surgicalstapling instruments include an elongated body portion having a handleportion at a proximal end to actuate the surgical stapling instrumentand a staple holding component disposed at a distal end. An anvilassembly including an anvil retention rod with an attached anvil head ismounted to a trocar assembly at the distal end of the surgical staplinginstrument adjacent the staple-holding component. Opposed end portionsof tissue of the hollow organ(s) to be stapled are clamped between theanvil head and the staple holding component. The clamped tissue isstapled by driving one or more staples from the staple holding componentso that the ends of the staples pass through the tissue and are formedby the anvil head. An annular knife is advanced to core tissue withinthe hollow organ to free a tubular passage within the organ.

Besides anastomosis of hollow organs, surgical stapling instruments forperforming circular anastomosis have been used to treat internalhemorrhoids in the rectum. Typically, during use of a surgical staplinginstrument for hemorrhoid treatment, the anvil head and the stapleholding-component of the surgical stapling instrument are insertedthrough the anus and into the rectum with the anvil head and thestaple-holding component in an open or spaced part position. Thereafter,a purse string suture is used to pull the internal hemorrhoidal tissuetowards the anvil rod. Next, the anvil head and staple-holding componentare approximated to clamp the hemorrhoidal tissue between the anvil headand the staple holding component. During the approximation of the anvilhead and the staple-holding component, the trocar assembly is engagedwith the anvil retention rod. The surgical stapling instrument is firedto remove the hemorrhoidal tissue and staple the tissue.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the disclosure, a surgical stapling instrumentincludes an anvil assembly, a shell assembly, and an adapter assembly.The anvil assembly includes an anvil head and an anvil center rodextending proximally from the anvil head. The shell assembly includes anannular staple cartridge including a plurality of staples. The adapterassembly includes a tubular shaft, an approximation assembly, and aseal. The tubular shaft supports the shell assembly at a distal portionof the tubular shaft. The approximation assembly includes a lead screw,a tubular member, a cable, and a trocar assembly. The tubular memberthreadably engages the lead screw such that rotation of the lead screwcauses axial displacement of the tubular member. The cable extendswithin the tubular shaft and is coupled to the tubular member forconcomitant displacement with the tubular member. The trocar assemblyextends from the cable. The trocar assembly is coupled to the anvilassembly such that axial displacement of the tubular member transitionsthe anvil assembly between a spaced apart configuration, in which, theanvil head is spaced apart from the annular staple cartridge, and anapproximated configuration, in which, the anvil head is in juxtaposedalignment with the annular staple cartridge. The seal provides afluid-tight seal such that the adapter assembly includes a sealedportion and an unsealed portion. The lead screw is disposed within thesealed portion.

In an aspect, the cable may be formed of a flexible material.

In another aspect, the cable may be configured for flexion in a radialor an axial direction.

In yet another aspect, the seal of the adapter assembly may engage thecable in a sealing relation.

In an aspect, the lead screw may be disposed proximal of the seal.

In another aspect, the lead screw may include a lubricant to enhanceengagement with the tubular member of the approximation assembly.

In yet another aspect, the trocar assembly may be attachable to thecable.

In still yet another aspect, the trocar assembly may include aconnecting member secured to the cable, and a trocar extending distallyfrom the connecting member and engageable with the anvil center rod ofthe anvil assembly.

In still yet another aspect, the trocar may be releasably coupled to theconnecting member.

In an aspect, the anvil center rod may include a plurality of resilientfingers defining a longitudinal bore. The trocar may be releasablyreceived in the longitudinal bore.

In another aspect, the cable may have a diameter of about 0.25 inch.

In yet another aspect, the shell assembly may be releasably coupled tothe distal portion of the tubular shaft.

In still yet another aspect, the surgical stapling instrument mayfurther include a handle assembly. The adapter assembly may include aninterface portion attachable to the handle assembly of the surgicalstapling device.

In still yet another aspect, the sealed portion of the adapter assemblymay be adjacent the interface portion.

In still yet another aspect, the tubular shaft may have a bend.

In accordance with the disclosure, an adapter assembly for use with asurgical stapling instrument includes a tubular shaft and anapproximation assembly. The tubular shaft supports a shell assemblyincluding an annular staple cartridge. The approximation assemblyincludes a tubular member defining a lumen therethrough, a lead screwthreadably received in the lumen of the tubular member such thatrotation of the lead screw causes axial displacement of the tubularmember, a flexible cable extending from the tubular member forconcomitant displacement therewith, a trocar assembly coupled to thecable, and a seal. The trocar assembly is attachable to an anvilassembly and movable between a retracted position and an advancedposition. The seal is supported on the tubular shaft to seal the leadscrew from fluid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

An adapter assembly for use with a surgical stapling instrument isdisclosed herein with reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical stapling instrument inaccordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an approximation assembly of thesurgical stapling instrument of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is cross-sectional view of the surgical stapling instrument ofFIG. 1 cut along section line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the indicated area ofdetail of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter assembly and the anvilassembly of the surgical stapling instrument of FIG. 3, illustrating theadapter assembly when the anvil assembly is in an approximatedconfiguration; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the indicated area ofdetail of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A surgical stapling instrument is described in detail with reference tothe drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate correspondingelements in each of the several views. As used herein, the term “distal”refers to that portion of the instrument, or component thereof which isfarther from the user during customary use of the instrument while theterm “proximal” refers to that portion of the instrument or componentthereof which is closer to the user during customary use of theinstrument.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an approximation assembly for use witha surgical instrument, in the form of a surgical stapling instrument 10is shown generally as 500. The approximation assembly 500 enablesplacement of lubricated components thereof in a fluid-tight sealedmanner such that the lubricated components are protected from cleaningfluids during, e.g., reprocessing, of the surgical stapling instrument10. The surgical stapling instrument 10 is a circular staplinginstrument including a handle assembly 20, an adapter assembly 300extending distally from the handle assembly 20, a shell assembly 16supported on a distal portion of the adapter assembly 300, and an anvilassembly 50 operatively coupled to the handle assembly 20.

The handle assembly 20 is illustrated as a powered assembly and includesa stationary grip 22, actuation button 24 for controlling firing ofstaples (not shown) from an annular staple cartridge 48 of the shellassembly 16, and approximation buttons 26 a, 26 b for controlling axialdisplacement of the anvil assembly 50 towards and away from the shellassembly 16. For a detailed description of the structure and function ofexemplary powered handle assemblies, reference may be made to U.S.Patent Application Publication Nos. 2020/0015820 and 2019/0343517, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Althoughthe disclosure illustrates a powered assembly, it is envisioned that theadvantages of the disclosure as described in detail below are alsoapplicable to surgical stapling instruments having manually operatedhandle and body assemblies or robotically actuated surgical instruments.U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,106 (the '106 Patent) discloses an example of asurgical stapling instrument including a manually actuated handleassembly and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It isalso envisioned that the disclosed stapling instrument can be supportedon a robotic system and need not include a handle assembly.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the adapter assembly 300includes an interface portion 332 detachably coupled to the handleassembly 20, a tubular shaft 340 extending distally from the interfaceportion 332, and the approximation assembly 500 movably supported withinthe adapter assembly 300. The shell assembly 16 is supported on a distalportion of the tubular shaft 340 and includes a shell housing 46 and anannular staple cartridge 48 that defines annular rows of staplereceiving pockets 50. In particular, the shell assembly 16 may bereleasably coupled to the distal portion of the tubular shaft 340 tofacilitate replacement of the annular staple cartridge 48 after eachuse.

Each of the staple receiving pockets 50 supports a staple (not shown)that can be fired from the annular staple cartridge 48 via actuation ofthe actuation button 24 of the handle assembly 20 and formed within thestaple forming pockets (not shown) of a staple forming surface 29 of ananvil head 28 of the anvil assembly 50. The shell housing 46 of theshell assembly 16 defines an annular cavity 60. The annular cavity 60supports a staple pusher (not shown) and an annular knife (not shown)such that the staple pusher and the annular knife are movable inrelation to the annular staple cartridge 48 to eject the staples fromthe annular staple cartridge 48 and to dissect or cut tissue positionedwithin an annulus defined by the annular staple cartridge 48. For adetailed description of the structure and function of the exemplaryshell assemblies reference may be made to the '106 Patent, the entirecontents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

With particular reference to FIG. 2, the anvil assembly 50 includes ananvil head 28 and an anvil center rod 30. The anvil head 28 includes thestaple deforming surface 29 that includes staple deforming pockets (notshown). The anvil center rod 30 includes a plurality of resilientfingers 38 defining a longitudinal bore that is dimensioned to receiveand releasably engage a trocar 102 of the trocar assembly 100. In anaspect, the anvil head 28 may be pivotally coupled to the anvil centerrod 30 and may be movable between an operative position for formingstaples and a tilted, reduced profile position.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the approximation assembly 500 includesa lead screw 120, a tubular member 130 threadably coupled to the leadscrew 120, a cable 140 that is connected to the tubular member 130, andthe trocar assembly 100 that is coupled to the cable 140. The anvilassembly 50 may be releasably coupled to the approximation assembly 500for concomitant axial displacement of the anvil assembly 50 relative tothe shell assembly 16 (FIG. 1) by activating an actuator (not shown)such as, e.g., an electric motor, in the handle assembly 20 (FIG. 1).The lead screw 120 is operatively coupled to the actuator of the handleassembly 20 for rotational input. The lead screw 120 is rotatablyslidable within the tubular member 130 such that rotation of the leadscrew 120 causes axial displacement of the tubular member 130.

The cable 140 is attached to the tubular member 130 such that axialdisplacement of the tubular member 130 is imparted to the cable 140. Inan aspect, the cable 140 may have a diameter of about 0.25 inch. Inparticular, the cable 140 may be formed of a flexible material to enableflexion of the cable 140 in, e.g., radial and/or axial, directions. Inthis manner, the cable 140 may accommodate the shape and contour of theadapter assembly 300. In addition, the flexibility of the cable 140enables placement of the lead screw 120 in a proximal portion 302(FIG. 1) of the adapter assembly 300, e.g., adjacent the interfaceportion 332. Furthermore, the cable 140 enables placement of the leadscrew 120 in a portion or compartment that is sealed from fluid. Forexample, the lead screw 120 may be placed in the proximal portion 302 ofthe adapter assembly 300 that is sealed from fluid. Under such aconfiguration, any lubricant or grease that is applied to the lead screw120 may be protected from, e.g., the cleaning fluid, used inreprocessing or sterilization of the adapter assembly 300, which mayenhance reusability and performance of the adapter assembly 300. Forexample, the adapter assembly 300 may include seals 305 in a fluid-tightsealing relation with the cable 140. In addition, other components suchas, e.g., a strain gauge 70, that measures the strain in the adapterassembly 300 during movement of the anvil assembly 50 in relation to thestaple cartridge 48 to identify if the anvil assembly 50 is properlycoupled to the trocar assembly 100, may also be positioned within thesealed proximal portion 302.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting member 150 extendsdistally from the cable 140. The trocar 102 includes a distal portion102 a that is tapered and a proximal portion 102 b that is larger thanthe distal portion 102 a. The distal portion 102 a is detachablyreceived within the longitudinal bore that is defined by the pluralityresilient fingers 38 of the anvil assembly 50, and the proximal portion102 b is, e.g., detachably, coupled to the connecting member 150. In anaspect, it is contemplated that the trocar 102 may be fixed with theconnecting member 150. Under such a configuration, rotational output ofthe actuator of the handle assembly 20 provides rotational input to thelead screw 120, which, in turn, causes axial displacement of the tubularmember 130. Displacement of the tubular member 130 imparts concomitantdisplacement to the cable 140, which, in turn, transitions the anvilassembly 50 between a spaced apart configuration (FIG. 3) and anapproximated configuration (FIG. 5), in which, the staple deformingsurface 29 of the anvil assembly 50 is in juxtaposed alignment with theannular staple cartridge 48.

Initially, tubular tissue may be placed between the anvil head 28 andthe shell assembly 16 to perform anastomosis. At this time, the surgicalstapling instrument 10 may be in the spaced apart configuration (FIG.3). The approximation button 26 a may be pressed to transition the anvilhead 28 of the anvil assembly 50 to the approximated configuration (FIG.5) to clamp tissue between the anvil head 28 and the annular cartridgeassembly 48. At this time, the actuator of the handle assembly isactivated to provide rotational input to the lead screw 120. Rotation ofthe lead screw 120 provides axial displacement of the cable 140 in thedirection of arrows “P” (FIG. 5), which, in turn, retracts the anvilhead 28 to the approximated configuration. At this time, tissue isclamped between the anvil head 28 and the shell assembly 16. Thereafter,the actuation button 24 may be pressed to activate an actuator toperform stapling and cutting of tissue disposed between the anvil head28 and the shell assembly 16. Thereafter, the clinician may press theapproximation button 26 b to transition the anvil head 28 to the spacedapart configuration. After the surgical procedure, the adapter assembly300 may be reprocessed or sterilized for reuse. The anvil assembly 50may be detached from the trocar assembly 100 and/or the trocar 102 maybe detached from the connecting member 150 of the trocar assembly 100prior to reprocessing or sterilization.

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the instruments andmethods specifically described herein and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings are non-limiting. It is envisioned that theelements and features may be combined with the elements and features ofanother without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As well, oneskilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantages ofthe disclosure.

1. (canceled)
 2. An adapter assembly for use with a surgical stapling instrument comprising: a tubular shaft supporting a shell assembly including an annular staple cartridge; an anvil assembly; and an approximation assembly including: a tubular member defining a lumen therethrough; a lead screw threadably received in the lumen of the tubular member such that rotation of the lead screw causes axial displacement of the tubular member; a flexible cable extending from the tubular member for concomitant displacement therewith; a trocar assembly coupled to the flexible cable, the trocar assembly adapted to be attached to the anvil assembly and movable between a retracted position and an advanced position; and a seal supported on the tubular shaft to seal the lead screw from fluid.
 3. The adapter assembly according to claim 2, wherein the flexible cable is radially flexible.
 4. The adapter assembly according to claim 2, wherein the lead screw is disposed in a proximal portion of the adapter assembly.
 5. The adapter assembly according to claim 2, wherein the trocar assembly is releasably attachable to the flexible cable.
 6. The adapter assembly according to claim 2, wherein the anvil assembly includes an anvil center rod, and the trocar assembly includes a connecting member securable with the flexible cable, and a trocar configured to be received in the anvil center rod of the anvil assembly.
 7. An adapter assembly for use with a surgical instrument comprising: a tubular shaft having a distal portion; a tool assembly supported on the distal portion of the tubular shaft, the tool assembly transitionable between retracted and advanced configurations; and an approximation assembly including: a lead screw; a tubular member threadably engaging the lead screw such that rotation of the lead screw causes axial displacement of the tubular member; a cable coupling the tool assembly and the tubular member such that axial displacement of the tubular member transitions the tool assembly between the retracted and advanced configurations; and a seal forming a fluid-tight seal against the cable such that the adapter assembly includes a sealed portion and an unsealed portion, wherein the lead screw is disposed within the sealed portion.
 8. The adapter assembly according to claim 7, wherein the cable is formed of a flexible material.
 9. The adapter assembly according to claim 7, wherein the lead screw is disposed proximal of the seal.
 10. The adapter assembly according to claim 7, wherein the approximation assembly includes a lubricant on the lead screw.
 11. The adapter assembly according to claim 7, wherein the approximation assembly further includes a trocar assembly extending from the cable, the trocar assembly coupled to the tool assembly such that axial displacement of the tubular member transitions the tool assembly between the retracted and advanced configurations.
 12. The adapter assembly according to claim 11, wherein the trocar assembly is attached to the cable.
 13. The adapter assembly according to claim 12, wherein the trocar assembly includes a connecting member secured to the cable, and a trocar extending distally from the connecting member and engageable with an anvil center rod of the anvil assembly.
 14. The adapter assembly according to claim 13, wherein the trocar is releasably coupled to the connecting member.
 15. The adapter assembly according to claim 12, wherein the cable is configured for flexion in a radial or an axial direction.
 16. The adapter assembly according to claim 7, wherein the cable has a diameter of about 0.25 inch.
 17. The adapter assembly according to claim 7, wherein the tubular shaft has a non-linear profile. 